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diff --git a/old/65820-0.txt b/old/65820-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index ec1b964..0000000 --- a/old/65820-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1449 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Bee Hunter, by George Harold -Edgell - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The Bee Hunter - -Author: George Harold Edgell - -Release Date: July 10, 2021 [eBook #65820] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Tim Lindell, David E. Brown, and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This book was - produced from images made available by the HathiTrust - Digital Library.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BEE HUNTER *** - - - - - -_THE BEE HUNTER_ - - - - - _The_ BEE HUNTER - - By GEORGE HAROLD EDGELL - - [Illustration] - - 1949 - - HARVARD UNIVERSITY PRESS - CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS - - - Copyright 1949 - BY GEORGE HAROLD EDGELL - - _Printed at_ UNIVERSITY PRESS, INC. - CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, U. S. A. - - LONDON: GEOFFREY CUMBERLEGE - OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS - -[Illustration] - - - - -THE BEE HUNTER - - -This little treatise is in part the child of frustration, in part -the child of irritation. In a modest way, the writer has been an -author. The first book he ever wrote, an opus of several chapters, -was called “The Bee Hunter.” The writer was then eighteen. Submitted, -on the advice of the late Robert W. Chambers, to his publisher in New -York, the young author was surprised to learn that his manuscript was -rejected. The publisher tactfully pointed out that even the English -translation of Maurice Maeterlinck’s _La Vie des Abeilles_ had lost -money for its publisher. - -The manuscript was put away to gather dust. I believe and trust now -that it is lost. It was terrible. - -So much for the frustration. Now for the irritation. Being an unsung -author on the subject and, more important, a successful bee hunter -of fifty years’ experience, the writer has read a certain number of -articles on bee hunting. One appears every year or two. Starting with -two essays by John Burroughs, one fact is common to all. They are -written by men who never possibly could have found a bee tree, at least -by pursuing the methods they describe. Burroughs came nearest the -truth, but even he seems to have got his account from some farmer with -more imagination than experience. It is time for someone who has hunted -bees and found bee trees to write the facts. For bee hunting is rapidly -becoming a lost art. - -The writer’s interest in the sport began at the age of ten when he -was initiated by an old Adirondacker who had sunk to driving his -grandfather’s mules in Newport, New Hampshire. George Smith, as I shall -call him, was a character, to the youngster as fabulous as Paul Bunyan. -He took his whiskey neat. He smoked and chewed at the same time and -could spit without removing the pipe from his mouth. His profanity -could take the bluing off a gun barrel. Withal, he was one of the -kindest and most generous of men and a mighty bee hunter before the -Lord, or the devil if one prefers. He introduced the boy to the simple -equipment necessary for the art, and though through the years I have -improved it slightly, the fundamentals of the few objects have remained -the same. - -The most important item is the bee box. This one can make oneself if -one is clever, or employ a cabinetmaker to do it from specifications -if, like the writer, one is not. The box should be of wood, about five -and one-half inches long, three inches wide, and three inches deep. -The wood of an old-fashioned cigar box is an excellent material but if -used, the box should be left outdoors some time to weather, as bees -do not like the odor of tobacco. The box should be divided into two -compartments, the front one open with a hinged lid. In the lid there -should be a small glass window which can be darkened by a wooden slide. -Between the front and rear compartments there should be an opening at -the bottom two-thirds of an inch wide which can be opened and closed -by a wooden slide manipulated from the outside. The rear of the inside -compartment should be of glass, covered with a wooden slide which can -be raised on occasion to admit light to the compartment. The box should -be nicely and tightly constructed, shellacked after completion, and -lightproof. Remember, it will be out in all sorts of weather and the -older it is, and the more weathered it becomes, the better the bees -will like it. - -[Illustration: A BEE BOX] - -Provided with the box, the rest is easy. One needs a couple of -pieces of empty honeycomb cut square to drop easily into the front -compartment. The best is old, black comb from an old bee tree, but any -empty comb will do. For nectar it is not necessary to use real honey. -A syrup of common white sugar one-third, and water two-thirds, boiled -for fifteen minutes and then cooled, seems to be as tempting to bees -as real honey. If one keeps it so long that it begins to ferment, no -matter. Bees’ taste is not nice in such matters. Bees will cheerfully -work the fermented juice of a rotten pear. As a refinement, it is well -to provide oneself with a tiny bottle of the oil of anise. If used -sparingly, this will attract bees, and the faint odor on a bee’s feet -will attract others. When I say sparingly, I mean more than the word -ordinarily implies. The cork of the anise bottle rubbed on the comb -and the comb then licked with the tongue will provide anise enough for -one’s purpose. More will make the bees quite drunk, they will refuse to -suck but buzz around looking for the anise and eventually retire to the -flowers to sober up, and you will lose your line. To fill the comb, a -common eye dropper is very handy though not absolutely necessary. It is -handy, too, to have a stand made of an upright piece of wood such as a -four-foot section of a rake handle with a flat board nailed on top and -the lower end sharpened so it can easily be thrust in the ground, but a -stand can always be improvised using a young spruce cut off at the top -or a few stones pilfered from a stone wall. It is also handy to have -another small box with a lid, not a bee box, in which to carry small -objects. The paraphernalia is therefore very simple, and a good bee -hunter can get along if necessary with less. George Smith and I once -started a line using an empty 32 calibre cartridge box and a bit of -comb stolen dangerously from a nest of paper wasps. Finally it would be -well to have a cloth bag or knapsack in which the smaller articles may -be carried, leaving the hands free. - -[Illustration: FILLING THE COMB - -A medicine dropper is convenient when filling the piece of comb with -sugar syrup] - -We are now ready to start but should consider the season. There is -no point in going bee hunting if one can find no bees. Bees begin to -work as soon as spring gets warm and continue until severe frost. This -can be proved by examining any hive on any warm day, but what the -bees are working on is another question. They are hard to find except -during some definite honey flow such as the white clover season or the -milkweed or the goldenrod. Especially the last two are favourable. On -the bee box I have used for a good many years, I have scribbled the -dates of the findings of fifty-six bee trees. Eighty per cent are in -July or September. Only occasionally does one occur in June or August -and practically never in October. July and September mean milkweed and -goldenrod to the bee hunter. - -Let us assume that it is a warm day in mid-July and the milkweed -is in bloom. We find a patch and find it teeming with honey bees. -Incidentally the first step should be to learn what a honey bee looks -like. He resembles a refined and streamlined horsefly and is totally -unlike the fuzzy bumble bee that so many mistakenly regard as honey -bees. One’s first task is to catch a bee. This is done by bringing the -box up sharply under him with the lid open as he sits on the edge of -a bloom and slapping the lid home as he tumbles into the box. It is -not so hard as it sounds, especially if the bee is on a high bloom of -milkweed or goldenrod. It is essential that the bee be caught. During -the midst of a good honey flow a bee will never voluntarily abandon -the flowers and go to a comb, no matter with what aromatic lure you -may have anointed it. Forget for all time the accounts of writers -who drench a handkerchief with anise and throw it over a bush near a -stand with loaded comb. No bee would come near it. During a starvation -period when flowers are scarce, especially after the autumnal frosts, -a bee will light on the comb if he finds it. Ninety-nine times out of -a hundred, however, the bees will be somewhere else and no bee will -find the comb. There have been exceptions as I shall show, but the only -sensible procedure is to hunt bees during a honey flow when they are -easy to find, and introduce them into the box by violence. - -[Illustration: CATCHING THE BEE - -The bee will be scooped into the outer compartment and the lid snapped -shut simultaneously] - -Having caught the bee in the outer compartment and verifying the fact -that he is there by looking in the window, the next step is to close -the window, darken the outer compartment, open the slide to admit him -to the rear and open the rear window. Seeing the light, the bee will -promptly go in there, seeking escape. Then one can close the rear -compartment and open the front so as to catch another bee. One can -start a line with one bee, but the chance of success is greater if one -has a dozen, and during a good honey flow, if the tree is not too far -away, these can be caught in ten minutes. - -Provided with a dozen bees one is ready to start the line. Fill one of -the pieces of comb with syrup. Thrust in the stand if you have one. -Open the window into the outer compartment and the door between and -admit three or four bees to the part with the comb. They will come if -you open the window in front and darken the rear. Then put the box -down gently, darken the whole box, put your hat over it and leave it -still for three or four minutes. Meanwhile, fill the other comb. -After three or four minutes, place the box on the stand and gently -open the lid. If conditions are right, the bees will have found the -syrup and taken a load in the darkness. Sometimes one or two will not -have finished loading and will sit quietly until they are stuffed to -capacity. If they are loaded, they will fly comparatively slowly as -they take off to return to the hive. When they have left, repeat the -whole process and let out more bees until all have gone. You are now in -the stage of starting to establish the line. - -[Illustration: TRAPPING THE BEE IN THE REAR COMPARTMENT - -The slide on the side of the box is pulled to open the entrance to the -rear compartment, the rear window is opened, and the bee follows the -light into the rear compartment] - -Where most of the nature fakers fall down conspicuously is in -describing how to establish a “bee line” giving the exact direction -of the bee tree. Actually, when a bee leaves for the first time he is -both suspicious and anxious to establish the position of the stand. He -leaves in slowly expanding spirals and figure eights. The hunter rolls -round on his back trying to follow the convolutions of the bee flight -in the air. Usually it ends by the bee flying between the eye and the -sun and thus being lost to view. If the hunter can establish when the -bee leaves for the first time, whether the tree is more north than -south or more east than west, he is doing well. It is not until a bee -has come and gone eight or ten times that he becomes familiar with the -stand, loses his suspicions, and, on taking off, goes in approximately -the direction of the tree thus at last creating a “bee line.” - -[Illustration: LETTING OUT THE BEES - -Two bee boxes are on the stand in this illustration. The lid of the -outer compartment of the top box has just been opened, and the bees are -about to emerge] - -If conditions are right, of your dozen bees four or five will return -for a second load. Again if conditions are right, in an hour or two -these will communicate in some mysterious way with other workers in the -hive that there is free lunch obtainable and the number of bees on the -line will increase. Especially if the tree is near and the flowers -not too profuse, this will happen quickly. At best I have had a hundred -or more bees running my line half an hour after the first bee left. -At times, and this is a common occurrence, no bee will come back at -all. Sometimes the original bees will go back and forth but bring no -companions. Often the bees will refuse to suck at all but will return -on release to the flowers. When that happens, you had best pack up and -go home and wait for more propitious conditions. - -Why bees will load sometimes and not others, fifty years of experience -has left unrevealed. In general, bees run better at the beginning -and end of a honey flow when the flowers are not too profuse and too -plentiful. Certainly if you are fortunate enough to catch a bee after -heavy frosts, yet on a warm day, you will probably establish a roaring -line in a short time. Why, however, sometimes bees will load eagerly -and sometimes ignore the comb is a mystery. No changes in the thickness -of the syrup, no substitution of true honey for the sugar, no aromatic -oils like anise applied to the comb will cause bees to suck if they do -not choose. They will often suck eagerly in the midst of the heaviest -goldenrod season and refuse to suck at other times when flowers are -scarce. Nothing is more frustrating than to catch box after box of -bees and find them unwilling to load. In such case there is nothing -to do but wait a week and try again. The most important quality for a -successful bee hunter is patience. - -[Illustration: BEES ON THE COMB - -The original bees have spread the word to their fellow-workers about -the “free lunch.” The box in this illustration is the one used for -storage of extra comb, the medicine dropper, the bottle of anise, etc.] - -Let us assume, however, that conditions are favourable this July -morning. About ten minutes after the release of the first bee, a bee -comes back. This is one of the most exciting moments in the hunt. An -experienced hunter recognizes the sound of a honey bee instantly, but -for the last five minutes he has jumped at the sound of every doodle -bug that has flown by the stand. The behaviour of the returning bee is -very different from that of the departing one. He dashes in circles -round the stand, darts away again across the field until you think he -will not return, whizzes back to circle the stand again and finally, in -narrowing circles, poises above the comb like a helicopter, his buzz -still shrilling. One waits with bated breath. The buzz ceases. The bee -has come to rest and is loading. The line is started. - -Soon others arrive, and the first comer departs. Once more you try -and take his line but once more he fools you as he leaves in widening -circles. However, one has got the general direction and can take a -position to see better. More information comes as each bee leaves. In -an hour’s time the comb may have twenty bees on it at once and the -arrivals and departures are frequent. Now the bees have begun to be -accustomed to the stand and frequently jump off and fly straight so -that in a good light the eye can follow one for fifty or a hundred -yards. Thus you establish your “bee line.” It is never exact, however. -No two bees have exactly the same idea as to the best way home. If, -for example, there is a large tree in the direction of the hive and -perhaps a hundred yards from the stand, one bee may bypass it to the -right, another to the left, and a third may lift and go over it. One is -constantly revising one’s decision as to the true line. - -[Illustration: WATCHING THE BEES LEAVE THE COMB - -The general direction of the bees’ flight has been established, and the -hunter has taken up a position a few feet from the stand (_arrow_) from -which he can easily follow the path of the bees in the air] - -By now we are ready to time a bee and see how long he is gone. This -will give one a fair estimate of the distance from the stand to the -tree. A bee takes between one and two minutes to load and as much time -to unload. He may also have to crawl some distance in the tree to -reach the place to deposit his load. He flies at about the speed of a -human sprinter, say a quarter of a mile a minute. If he is gone eight -minutes, the tree is not too far away. If he is gone twelve minutes, -the hunter has a long job ahead. If he is gone four minutes, the tree -is very close. The longest I remember having a bee absent and still -being able to run a line and find the tree was fifteen minutes. The -shortest was two and one-half minutes, and then the tree was actually -in sight of the stand, though I did not know it at the time. Twenty -minutes is hopeless. No bee will bring others back at that distance, -and it is better to abandon the stand, move a mile or more in the -direction the bee has taken, catch more bees, and repeat the whole -process nearer the tree. - -In order to time a bee it is necessary to be able to identify an -individual. George Smith used to do this by extracting some seed or -pollen from the bud of a small mossy plant and sprinkling a little -of the green dust on the back of a bee. At best it was an uncertain -process as the dust was liable to be blown off before the bee’s -return, and even if not, was hard to see. I have evolved a simpler and -better system. To our equipment as already described, let us add a -small bottle of water, a tiny camel’s hair brush, and a piece of blue -carpenter’s chalk. With the blade of a penknife, scrape some dust from -the chalk onto the back of a smooth stone or the blade of a hand axe -if you carry one. Incidentally a small scout’s axe is a handy thing -to have for clearing brush, making stands, marking the bee tree when -you have found it, and blazing a trail from it if it is deep in the -woods and should be hard to find again. On the chalk dust, with the -brush, drop a few drops of water and stir till the water is coloured -blue. Then with the wet brush dab the rear of a loading bee. This must -be done deftly and gently. Bees do not like to be painted. A good -hunter can guess which bee is apt to be unreasonably phlegmatic and, -especially if one is loading from a half empty cell, with the shoulders -buried and his tail raised, he can be painted without disturbing him. -Once daubed, the new decoration does not annoy him in the least and is -not noticed by his fellows. When wet, the spot shows only slightly, but -by the time the bee returns, the chalk dust will be dry and will stand -out like a beacon so vivid that it can be spotted even before the bee -alights. We now have an identifiable bee and can time him. - -Let us suppose he takes seven or eight minutes a trip to the tree and -back. One should time him two or three times to be accurate and not be -disturbed if the time varies a little. We now have a bee line and some -idea of the distance of the tree. - -Now it is time to move. One might ask why, knowing the direction and -the approximate distance, one does not immediately hunt for the tree. -The answer is that there are ten thousand trees in the woods and only -one the bee tree. One can never be sure of the exact line or, with any -exactitude, the distance. Sometimes when one has narrowed the problem -to an area of a hundred yards square, it is hard to find the tree. So -once more the bee box is placed on the stand, a loaded comb dropped -into the front compartment and the lid left open. The spare comb should -be hidden carefully. Great ire on the part of the bees. They again -become suspicious and do not want to enter the box. As more arrive, -the air is filled with a disgusted humming. In time the temptation is -too great and one after another a bee drops down to the comb. When ten -or a dozen have done so, snap down the lid of the box and drive them -into the rear compartment as before. They are reluctant to go, but a -puff of cigarette smoke blown through a crack in the lid will send -them scurrying to the rear in search of purer air. Close the slide, -reopen the box, place it on the stand and catch another lot. Catch all -you can. Then pull up the stand, gather up your paraphernalia and move -three or four hundred yards down the line. Then set up the stand and -release the bees in batches of eight or ten. - -This is another critical moment. Will the bees stand moving? If you -have mistaken the line and moved off it too far to the left or right, -the bees may not come back, and you will have to return to the first -stand and start over again. The same is true if the swarm is weak or -the flowers too tempting. The time seems interminable. I have a theory, -which I cannot prove, that on the first move the bees return to the -first stand before investigating the possibilities of the second. -Conditions are right on this day, however, and after a time we hear the -welcome hum of the first returning bee, quickly followed by a second -and a third. The bees will stand moving. Success seems assured. - -Theoretically it is. All one has to do is to continue to move the bees -until the tree is reached or passed, in which case the line reverses -and proves that the tree is between the last and the next to the last -stands. If it were as simple as that, bee hunting would not be the art -and the fun that it is. In the first place, in order to reestablish a -line, the stand should be set up in a clearing. We have now reached the -woods and possibly no clearings are available. Released in the woods, -a bee circles up into the trees and disappears. Sometimes it is hard -to tell whether he goes forward or back. The moves have to be shorter. -Often if one moves beyond the tree, the bees will not come back, and -you have lost your line. Above all, the lining must be straight. If you -meet a swamp, you must go through it. If you meet a cliff, you must -go up it. If you meet a pond, you must go round it and set up at just -the right point on the opposite side. All this takes time. You must be -prepared to spend two or three days before finding the tree. Meanwhile, -as the tree draws near, the bees tumble out in greater numbers until -literally there are hundreds buzzing about and going back and forth, -and one has to refill the comb frequently. - -This brings up another point: the danger of being stung. The newcomer -is apt to be terrified as the bees buzz round his head while the hunter -is tending the stand. The answer I can give categorically. There is -absolutely no danger whatever of being stung while running a line. The -bees are entirely friendly. They will fight among themselves if two -swarms are involved. They will fight a hornet if he has accidentally -found the comb. The hunter who is supplying them with free syrup they -would not think of molesting. The only possibility of getting stung -is some careless accident. I was once stung when a friendly bee had -lighted on my khaki shirt and, not noticing him, I put my arm down -and squeezed him against my side. Naturally, he let drive at my ribs. -The fault was mine, not his. One can even imprison a bee in one’s -cupped hands and he will crawl round and try to find his way out, but -if you do not squeeze him, he will not think of stinging you. I once -was lining a swarm in the middle of the goldenrod honey flow when a -terrific hailstorm came up and leveled all the flowers. The next day -the bees were desperate. Their bee pasture was gone and they were mad -for syrup. I soon had what seemed to be half the hive around me. They -came not in hundreds, but in thousands. Even to an old hunter it was -a little terrifying, but absolutely harmless. One had to exercise -caution. Feeling a curious tickling on the left side of my breast, I -discovered that some two dozen bees had found the anise bottle in my -shirt pocket and had gone in to investigate. It was quite a job to get -the anise bottle out and persuade the bees to come too, but I did it -without accident. The only danger to the amateur is that he lose his -head and try to slap a bee that he thinks is dangerously near his face. -If he does, he may be stung. He ought to be. It is worth repeating -because to the newcomer it seems incredible. There is absolutely no -danger of being stung while running a bee line. - -As we draw nearer the tree, the moves are shorter and made more -quickly. Now there is no worry about losing the line. Indeed, the bees -not trapped will often follow the hunter on a short move and, as the -imprisoned bees are released, others, arriving from behind, will drop -on the comb. Now the hunter is convinced that the tree must be in -sight. Usually it isn’t. As soon as it is established that the line -still goes ahead, the hunter will go down the line, carefully examining -every likely tree. This gives him exercise, puts in the time, and -enables him to find a good place for the next stand if it is necessary -to establish one. Usually it is. At last, however, one of two things -happens. Either the hunter finds the tree or, after a move, the bees -will be a long time coming back, or, if it is a long move, though it -should not be, they may not come back at all. When bees have been -running well and suddenly are slow to return, it is suspicious and -auspicious. When the line is at last reestablished, the behaviour of -the bees is odd. They will circle off in all directions in the most -exasperating fashion. At last one or two will fly reasonably straight, -and it dawns on the hunter that the line has reversed itself and the -bees are going back. The tree is between this and the last stand. It is -only a matter now of looking carefully enough to discover the tree. - -Even then one cannot consider the battle won. A bee tree can be -extraordinarily hard to find. The likeliest trees are maples, beeches, -and hemlocks, but the hunter must look everywhere. Smith used to have -a theory that if the bees rose high as they left the stand, the hole -was high in the air. If they pitched low, the hole was low. He also -pretended to guess the kind of tree that the bees were in by the colour -of the bees. Light-coloured bees were likely to be in a maple. Very -dark ones might be in a dead pine. There is something in all this but -not much. One time we were running a line of light-coloured bees that -pitched high, and I told Smith we had better look high up in maples. -His reply was: - -“You look high in the maples and low in the cedars and up and down all -trunks and branches, hard wood and soft, big enough to hold a hive and -you can be sure of just one thing. When you do find them, they’ll be -where you don’t expect them.” - -A sound aphorism and worth following. It was this same Smith one time -when we were fishing for trout and not finding them in one or two -favoured holes, tried elsewhere in less likely places and found them, -who said: - -“If you want to catch fish, you’ve got to fish where the fish is, and -if they ain’t there, you fish where they ain’t and there they’ll be.” - -Of course, the greatest thrill of the hunt comes when one finds the -tree. Sometimes it is abrupt, if the hole is in an unshaded limb or -bole in plain view. More often it is in a position where one has to -manoeuvre to see it, and the first warning comes when one sees the -flash of wings in the air and, in an agony of hope and doubt, moves -about until the hole can be seen and the presence of the swarm truly -verified. Even when the tree is pinned between two stands, it may take -a long time. I remember one tree that we had so pinned. I had with me -my son, who is a good bee hunter, a companion of his, and a couple of -rank amateurs. The five of us tramped the area between the two stands -for an hour before I found the hive. It was in a smallish swamp maple -that divided into two boles four feet above the ground. Neither hole -was big enough to hold bees, so we had passed it unsuspecting. In the -crotch where the boles divided was a hole and into this the bees were -dropping, making their home in the short trunk near the ground. After -we had found it we noted that we had actually trampled a path through -the ferns within fifteen feet of the tree. - -[Illustration: THE BEE TREE - -The bees have entered the hole indicated by the arrow in an otherwise -sound maple tree. Bees rarely choose a dead tree in which to make their -hive] - -The commonest and most foolish question I am asked is how long it -takes to find a bee tree. According to my experience it is somewhere -between forty-three minutes and two years. I have already mentioned the -accident of setting up a stand within sight of the tree and finding it -in less than an hour. Another time it was not an accident but a well -calculated guess. In late September I was gunning in the Blue Mountain -Forest area in New Hampshire. The day was unseasonably warm. I found -no game, but observed a great many bees working the few goldenrod that -were left and some late asters. I well knew the terrain. A little to -the southwest was a small old sugar bush with large maples. To the -northwest but still near was another somewhat larger. Beyond and in all -directions had been pine forest that had recently been lumbered. There -would be almost no chance for bees to set up in that area and therefore -they must be in one of the two sugar groves. I went home, got my bee -box and started a line near the small sugar bush. The line came quickly -and I never moved. Following the line from the box, I found the bees in -the third tree I examined. It took less than three quarters of an hour. - -Now for the other end of the scale. Years ago when I was still a -boy, Smith and I started a line that ran up the steep slope of the -southern-saddleback of Croydon Mountain. The timber was thick, the -slope at times ladder-like, and the hunting difficult. We made -several moves and then hunted for the tree. We could not find it and -eventually gave it up. The following summer we struck the same line and -hunted it again. Evidently the bees had wintered well, but still we -could not find the tree. The next summer we got the same line. By that -time our dander was up and we decided to find that tree. We ran a line -as well as possible. Then we began to examine the timber horizontally -back and forth across the line, blazing our paths to make sure that the -whole area was covered. After a time, I heard a yell and considerable -profanity accompanying it. It was below me, and I scrambled down the -steep slope. The profanity seemed to come from a clump of young spruce -out of which projected the old bole of a fallen maple. Smith had -stepped on the bole, slipped, and shot through the young spruces ending -with his legs on either side of the stump of the fallen tree. The bees -were in that. One could have passed within ten feet and not known that -there was anything there that could harbour a colony of bees. We had -our tree, but it had taken a little over two years to find it. - -A word about cross lining. The literary experts seem always to find -their quarry by cross lining. They catch a bee, release it, and take -its line. Then they move a quarter of a mile, catch another and take -its line. By triangulation, where the two lines meet, there will be the -tree. _Pas plus difficile que ça!_ Unfortunately, as we have seen, one -cannot get even remotely an accurate line the first time a bee leaves. -Moreover, if one could, there would be a good chance that bee number -two came from another colony. One would get a line north and another -northwest, and where they met, there would be the tree. Nevertheless, -cross lining should not be ruled out. Sometimes one will get a line too -weak to be worth following. Trying in another place one may get another -weak line that seems to cross at a distance the first. If one goes to -about where the two seem to meet, there is a good chance that one will -be near a bee tree. - -Let me illustrate with an amusing example. Three years ago I was bee -hunting on the hills not far from my home in New Hampshire. I got -a weak line nearly east and directly toward the little village of -Croydon Flat. I decided that I must have got onto a tame swarm, though -I could think of no one in Croydon Flat who kept bees. However, it -was obviously time to try another area and I drove to the Flat and -took a road northwest for a mile and a half, caught bees, and set up -a stand. I got a weak line southeast, again directly toward Croydon -Flat. I hunted up a friend who lived there, one Orrin Pillsbury, and -he assured me that nobody in the Flat kept bees. The village is tiny, -the intervale small, there is good hard wood timber near and no reason -why a wild swarm should not have located near the village. I caught -bees and set up in the vegetable garden back of Orrin’s house. I soon -had a good line northeast, but it went over the house, and since some -energetic bees flew over the house, others preferred to clear only -the ell and still others went round, we had no accurate line. I moved -across the village street to a field on the other side. The bees were -a long time coming back and when they did, they established a line -northwest. Here was a cross line with a vengeance. We investigated, -thinking the bees were in one of the elms of the village street. I -soon found them pouring in and out of a chimney on the house of one Cy -Cummings. Cy had two chimneys and he only used one. The bees had set -up in the other. That was one wild swarm I found that did me no good. -Cy obligingly let us into the house, but when I suggested opening the -disc in the second floor designed for the admission of a stove pipe, he -mutinied. That was not unreasonable as I could not have got my head in -to see, and the bees could have got out into the bedroom. Cy distrusts -bees. I believe subsequently he built a fire in the chimney and brought -down a mass of spoiled honey, dead bees, and melted wax. A great waste. - -This brings up another point. The writer has been fortunate in that the -bulk of his hunting has been within the preserve of the Blue Mountain -Forest Association in Sullivan County, New Hampshire. There, if one -starts a line of bees, one can be sure it is a wild swarm. There are -no farms with domestic bees in the area. Most hunters, however, have -to hunt in country districts where there are farms, the owners of -which may well keep bees. It will be wise, therefore, before going -hunting, to ascertain the localities where tame bees are kept. Nothing -is more frustrating than to start a line, get it going well, run it -several moves, and end in a farmer’s backyard with the revelation that -a hard day’s work has done no more than adulterate his honey with a -half a pint of sugar syrup. This happened to me once, but it has not -happened again. New Hampshire is largely wooded, and if a line heads -for a deep woods on a mountain slope, one can be reasonably sure that -one is trailing a wild swarm. Do not, however, let that prevent you -from lining a wild swarm near a locality where there are tame bees. -Many wild swarms are simply once removed from the domestic variety. -Even a good apiarist often loses a colony when his bees swarm at an -inconvenient time, and the new colony may set up quarters not far -from the old. For years I refrained from starting a line from my own -lawn because of the presence a mile and a quarter away of a number -of colonies belonging to a gentleman known as Chicken Smith. Chicken -Smith’s bees used my flowers regularly. Then one day I decided to start -a line anyway just for interest and found a wild swarm in my own sugar -bush. - -One question often asked is how much honey one gets from a bee tree. -The amount varies enormously. My record is ninety-seven pounds of -unstrained honey from one tree. It was not a large tree, but it had -a large hollow. It involved a terrific fight with the bees, as one -would expect, and both my companion and I were rather well stung, but -we filled a wash boiler with honey and then had to go home for more -containers. On the other hand, one may take up a tree and get only a -pound or two. I remember taking up an old rock maple. Its branches were -so wide that when we cut it down, it merely leaned on its elbows and -we had to cut it three times before we could get to the entrance to -the hive. The wood was so heavy and the grain so gnarled that a steel -wedge held against the wood and struck with a sledge, would bounce off. -To get into the hollow was about as easy as cracking a safe, and it -took three of us over three hours. Our reward was one piece of filled -comb smaller than the palm of my hand. It is all a gamble and part of -the fascination of the hunt. As an average, I should say one ought to -expect to get eighteen to twenty pounds of strained honey from a tree. - -As to the number of moves, that varies from no move at all, as we have -seen, to a dozen or even more. The longest line I remember I started -years ago in the clearing at the base of Croydon Mountain. The line -took me up the steepest slope to the ridge just north of the summit. -Thence it carried over the ridge and down the opposite side. When it -came time to take up the tree, it was easier to come in from the north -than from the south along the line I had followed. It took me three -days, and I made fifteen moves. When bees are running well, one can -leave them in the late afternoon and pick them up again next day. On -leaving them, one fills every available piece of comb, weights the box -with a stone so it will not be blown off in case of a sudden wind, and -puts one piece of comb in the outer compartment with the lid propped -up only half an inch so that in case of rain at least one comb will -retain undiluted syrup. In spite of all this, when one returns next -day, usually every piece of comb is empty and the bees gone. It is hard -not to be discouraged, but there is no need to be. Fill the comb and -wait. In five, ten, or twenty minutes a bee will come for one more look -to see if a trifle of sweet may still be gleaned. He will load, depart, -and in half an hour you will have a roaring line once more. - -Bee hunting brings some odd experiences. As boys, my brother and I were -bee hunting with Smith and found the bees in the base of a rock maple -on the edge of the woods, in a fissure not five feet from the ground. -It was late September and we decided to take up the tree forthwith. It -was not necessary to fell the tree, but merely to cut into the hollow -to get the honey. We had, however, no nets or gloves, so we built a -smudge to drive back and stupefy the bees while we were getting the -honey. We made a good haul and drove back to camp three miles away that -evening and had ourselves a Gargantuan meal of brook trout, flapjacks, -and new honey. After supper we went out to listen to the bugling of -the elk with which the preserve was stocked and, looking across the -valley, we saw a bright light. Our smudge had set fire to the tree. -We drove back and found the hollow interior a furnace. There was no -water available, and the fire had burned high up in the hollow. We -had no means to extinguish it, nor did we dare leave it for fear the -tree would fall and the fire spread. The elk were bugling merrily, and -in those days an old bull in the rutting season was quite capable of -attacking a man. We finally climbed onto a large branch of the nearest -maple and spent a restless night telling stories and waiting for the -fire to burn itself out. Fortunately, by morning it had. - -Sometimes the attempt to find a tree is unusually baffling. One time -my son and I lined and cross lined a swarm until we narrowed the -search to two or three trees. The likeliest was a beech, but though we -occasionally got a glitter of wings in the air, we could not be sure -that we had the tree. It was not until we had gone home and returned -with a powerful pair of field glasses that we were able to distinguish -the bees in the foliage forty-five feet in the air and near enough the -hole to make us certain that we had our bee tree. The actual hole -itself we did not see until we felled the tree and took up the swarm. -Another time I had run the line to the top of a mountain and then the -line reversed itself. Between the two last stands there was nothing -but bull spruce not big enough to hold a colony, and moreover I had -never heard of bees in a spruce. Tree by tree I examined the terrain. I -finally found the bees dropping down into the roots of a spruce where -there was a hollow partly in the wood and partly in the ground where -the colony had settled. It was a miserable little swarm, and I never -bothered to take it up. The next summer it was gone, as I had expected -in the case of a foolish swarm that had selected so unsuitable an -habitation. - -Does one ever find a bee tree by accident? Yes, but very, very rarely. -I once was eating my luncheon beside a mountain brook and noticed a -honey bee loading water at a wet spot. He flew off and soon came back. -I got out my watch and timed him. He was gone two minutes. I rose and -went in the direction of his departure and found the tree fifty yards -away. This was without benefit of bee box or syrup, but did involve -lining of a sort. On the other hand, I once found a tree on top of a -mountain and, choosing a different way down, found another bee tree -two hundred yards from the first. My guess is that the older colony -had swarmed, and the new commune had decided to set up in the nearest -suitable place to the old. Another tree I found accidentally due to an -amusing mistake. My companion had had some experience in bee hunting, -and when I started out to catch some bees I asked her to fill the comb -for me so as to be ready when I returned with the bees. She did so, -however filling the comb from the anise bottle instead of the syrup -bottle. There was nothing for it but to go all the way home for fresh -comb and start over again. On the way back we discovered a large colony -of bees in a huge pine which we had passed unnoticed as we had gone out -the first time. These are the only trees I remember having discovered -by accident, and I have looked longingly into thousands of likely -trees. To find bees one must hunt them and not rely on chance. - -Sometimes bees, for such sagacious insects, show remarkably little -sense in the abode they select. I once found a colony in a small dead -poplar (or popple I should prefer to call it) so weak and rotted that -I could have pushed it over with my weight. Those bees I decided to -save for pets. My wife, the farmer, and I drove that night to a place -a few hundred yards from the tree. The hole was about five feet up. -The family was all at home of course, and I plugged the hole with moss -to keep them there. Then we attached a rope to the tree as far up as -we could reach and sawed it off at the base, lowering it gently to the -ground. Then we cut off the top above the hollow which sheltered the -bees. The farmer and I easily carried it to the buckboard and brought -it home in triumph. I had already prepared a place for it in a tub sunk -in the ground and cement ready to puddle around it. Soon our bee tree -was standing erect in the cow pasture near the house with a saucepan -over the top to keep rain from seeping into the hollow. I unplugged the -hole and went to bed. Next morning I went out to see how my guests did. -They were six miles from where they had gone to bed the night before -and were quite untroubled by it. They had already organized perfectly. -The temperature of the hive apparently had risen, and a ring of fanners -was around the hole fanning air into the interior with their wings -where it was caught up by other fanners and driven through the hive. -The ventilation system was humming. The bees had already discovered the -small brook a few yards away, and a bucket brigade was busily fetching -water. The bulk of the workers had discovered my neighbor’s buckwheat -patch and were busily gathering nectar. I kept them for several years -and got much fun from watching them, nor did they ever show the -slightest resentment toward me for shifting their home. Eventually they -died in an unusually severe winter. - -Apropos of starting a line without catching a bee, it can be done but -only by the rarest accident. I did it once. I had gone out to hunt -after the autumnal frosts, hoping to find a late flower or two on which -I could catch a bee. I went to a sheltered clearing and, leaving my -spare box open with the empty comb exposed on a boulder, I wandered -round the clearing searching for a bee. Finding none after fifteen or -twenty minutes, I returned to gather up my kit and found a bee buzzing -round the empty comb. He had found it by accident, having flown near -enough to get a scent of the comb and anise. I succeeded in filling the -dropper with syrup and squirting it onto the comb without frightening -the bee. He found the syrup promptly, loaded, and left. I then filled -the comb properly. I had hardly finished when the bee returned with -three friends. In fifteen minutes I had a roaring line, and in three -moves and about two hours I found the tree. This was a good example of -how well bees will run on a warm fall day after the flowers have gone -by. It is also the only example I remember of my being fortunate enough -to start a line in this way. - -The most ancient bee tree I ever found was approximately twenty-four -hundred years old. My wife and I were examining the ruins of one of the -Greek temples at Selinunte, the ancient Selinus in southern Sicily. -Of one of the temples, all but two of the columns had been overthrown -by an earthquake. One of those standing had been terribly worn by the -hot sirocco wind that blows periodically from the African coast. In -order to preserve it, the top had been capped with cement, but there -was a large hollow underneath. As I neared it, some telepathic cell -in my brain began to signal “bees.” Without thinking what I did, I -stepped to the column and ran my eye up it as I would have done had I -been looking for a bee tree. At the top the members of a busy swarm -were pouring in and out from the hollow under the cement. That was a -bee tree I could not take up. I had a similar experience several years -later in the ruined abbey of San Galgano south of Siena in Tuscany. -The abbey was built by French Cistercians in the early thirteenth -century, and the walls and apse are still standing though the roof -has long since disappeared. The ruin is fenced off and locked, but a -neighboring peasant brings the key and admits one for a few _soldi_. -I was examining the alien architecture with a professional interest -when once more the bell rang in my brain and something said “bees.” I -ran my eye up one of the columns and soon saw so many bees coming and -going from an aperture in the triforium that the original colony must -have increased enormously in almost unconfined space. I turned to the -peasant and said: - -“Ci sono api in quest’edificio.” - -He answered: - -“Si Signore, ma Lei è il primo che l’ha mai osservato.” - -I also found a lively swarm in the triforium of the ruined abbey of -Jumièges in Normandy which antedated San Galgano by a hundred years. So -it is possible to combine the discovering of wild bees with the study -of the history of art. - -Perhaps the tree I remember most vividly is the first one ever -discovered unaided. When I hunted with Smith, he was invariably the -one who first saw the bees. Since his death years ago, I have hunted -with many people and only twice has my companion seen the bees before -I did. There is something telepathic in the way an old hunter senses -the nearness of bees, though even he is often fooled. In order to -find a tree entirely on my own I had to escape from Smith’s tutelage. -The great day came when I was about fifteen. I caught bees in front -of my father’s house in Newport, N. H., and soon got a good line -running straight up the side of Coit Mountain. There was a long upland -pasture and beyond that the woods. Four moves took me to the forest -edge and timing and numbers both told me the tree was near. I went up -the line to look for the bees or for a clearing and soon found the -swarm in a good-sized rock maple. I have received a number of great -thrills in a long life, such as the notification that I had qualified -for my doctorate, the reception in New York harbour in late December -1918 after the first World War, the citation from the President on -receiving an honorary degree from Harvard, but, believe me, these -thrills are all in class B as compared to the one I got when I first -found a bee tree unaided. - -The finding had an amusing sequel. The hole was about eight feet up -the bole, too far to reach but near enough for the bees to be very -conscious of an intruder. I started proudly to blaze my initials on -the tree when I became conscious of a roar and the air seemed to grow -dark above me. I turned and ran just in time, nor did I return to -finish blazing the tree. Later, I related the event to George Smith who -covered me with contumely. That a man should find a tree and then be -driven off by the bees before he could blaze it, Smith regarded as a -disgrace. He assured me that he would take up the tree himself without -benefit of veil or gloves. I knew better than to argue, but on the -appointed time when he, my brother and I went to take up the tree, I -brought two veils and two pairs of gauntlets. When we got to the tree I -set about collecting dry stuff for a smudge, a matter which Smith said -was quite unnecessary. I was downhill from the tree when he went to -work. I heard the axe fall perhaps a half a dozen times, and then there -was a siren-like wail of profanity, and Smith came charging through the -woods, a stream of angry bees behind him like a comet’s tail. That was -one swarm which defeated the intrepid Smith. He borrowed my brother’s -net and gloves, my brother went off and hid in the woods, and with net -and glove protection and a smudge as well, we cut into the tree and -took up the swarm. We got sixty pounds of honey. - -In this article I have alluded many times to “taking up” a bee tree. -The phrase may be colloquial, but it sticks. Smith never cut a bee -tree. He always “took it up.” Moreover, he always referred to a bee as -“he.” I am well aware that a working bee is a sterile female, but I -cannot bring myself to call it “she.” There is nothing feminine about a -working bee but its anatomy. “She” is “he” to me. - -A word or two in more detail about the taking up of a bee tree may -not be amiss. It brings us face to face with one unpleasant fact: the -cruelty of the performance. For once a tree is taken up, the bees soon -die. It is done in the autumn, and the cold soon kills the bees. They -are deprived of food and shelter and have no time to gather more of the -one or repair the other. They have laboured hard and are pitilessly -robbed not only of the fruits of their labour, but of their very lives. -They have been friendly during the running, and one has acquired an -affection for them. How then can a reasonably tender-hearted person -bring himself to destroy them? - -A reason I can give, though I do not maintain that it is an excuse. -Bees are perhaps the most thoroughly communistic creatures extant. The -individual counts for nothing. The spirit of the hive is all. I am told -that the life of a working bee during a heavy honey flow is only six or -eight weeks. The workers work themselves until they shortly die; the -hive is kept alive by the steady hatching of larvae who in turn carry -on the work and die. The queen, who alone of the colony lives several -years, has one nuptial flight and spends the rest of her life crawling -over the comb and dropping an egg into each cell. Though she, more than -anything else, is responsible for the spirit of the hive, she is more -of a slave than her workers. As autumnal cold descends, work stops, -and the bees torpidly cling together for warmth and maintain existence -by consuming their store of honey. In the spring work and laying start, -and the worn workers live just long enough to see the process started -once more and enough larvae hatched to replace them and assure the -continued existence of the hive. A bee will do everything for the hive; -nothing for a fellow bee. A bee from a strange swarm, alighting on the -comb, will be instantly attacked. On the other hand, if one tries the -experiment of killing a bee on the comb, pinning him with the blade of -a knife, he will set up a screaming buzz that sounds horribly anguished -even to the human ear--and his fellow worker, loading half an inch -away, will pay absolutely no attention to him. When a tree is taken up, -the spirit of the hive is killed then and there. The queen is usually -crushed or lost. The living thing that is the hive is extinguished, and -the individual bees become mere insects doomed to winter destruction -as are so many of the common flies. For the individual, the hunter has -merely hastened dissolution by a little. He has killed the hive with -the crash of the tree. I state this not as an apology, but as a fact, -an explanation of why one’s conscience does not trouble one after -taking up a tree. Illogical it may be, but it is true. - -To return to the process. The days have lengthened, and October has -come. Frost has killed the flowers. The bees have gathered the maximum -of honey and will have begun to consume the store. It is time to take -up. For equipment you will need a couple of axes, a crosscut saw, a -sledge, and at least three stout steel wedges. Plenty of twine is -essential. Take as many bee nets as necessary. These can be made -extemporaneously out of black mosquito netting, but it is easier and -safer to get the regular professional beekeeper’s veils. For every -participant there should be a stout pair of linesman’s gauntlets. Wear -old clothes, dungarees or old riding trousers. You are sure to get -pretty well smeared with honey before you are done. Select a clear day -or an overcast one, but not one with a threat of rain. If any water -finds its way into the honey, it might as well be thrown away. It will -surely ferment and spoil. You will need help, one or, better yet, two -good woodsmen. In New Hampshire they are not hard to find. Probably -they are working for you on your own place or for your neighbour. A few -men have a rooted fear of bees and will be unavailable. The average -lumberman, if promised reasonable protection, will come along and face -the hard work for the fun. Taking up a bee tree is an exciting and -thrilling performance. Lastly, bring plenty of receptacles for the -honey. The humiliation of returning with five pounds of comb in a wash -boiler is nothing as compared to the exasperation of filling a couple -of buckets and finding you have no way of transporting the rest of the -honey that is left in the tree. - -Thus equipped you sally forth, hunter, woodsmen, and usually one or -two camp followers in the way of guests or the curious. Your tree -has been marked with your initials and a trail blazed to it with -your hand axe so you have no difficulty in finding it. If it is on -your property, well and good. If not, your New Hampshire farmer is -usually a reasonable being if you treat him properly. A bee tree is -not valuable. The mere fact that it has a hollow generally proves -that it is not commercially valuable for anything but firewood, and -after it is felled, if the owner wants to work it up into firewood, he -is at liberty to do so. A proper approach and the promise of a jar or -two of honey will usually win you permission to take up the tree, and -the owner will come along to watch the fun. In all my many years of -experience, I have only once been refused permission to take up a bee -tree without payment. - -Arriving at the tree a council of war will follow as to how best to -fell it. If you are wise, you will allow this decision to be made by -your woodsmen. If possible, it should be felled so that the hole is -on one side or on top. If possible, it should not be felled across -boulders, as it is very desirable not to have the hole split. Sometimes -a tree will be so leaning, however, that there is no choice in the -matter, and one must do the best one can. While the woodsmen are -chipping the trunk and beginning to saw, the hunter should gather moss, -the fronds of ferns, or other stuff to plug the hole when the tree is -brought down. As the saw bites deeper and the scarf widens, the top -of the tree will begin to sway. Now is the time for the hunter to don -his veil and gloves. Before putting on the veil, it is well to turn up -the collar of one’s jacket. It is not even an act of supererogation -to tie tightly some twine around one’s waist. I once had an ambitious -bee crawl up under my jacket, down through the band of my trousers, up -under my shirt and undershirt and sting me in the small of the back. -For protection of the legs, nothing is better than a light pair of -fisherman’s rubber boots. Failing them, tie the bottom of your trousers -or dungarees tightly round the tops of your shoes. Do _not_ wear low -shoes. My companion did that the time we took up the ninety-seven pound -tree. It was in a swamp and, in addition to the discomfort of wet feet, -he found that a couple of dozen bees, stupefied by the smudge, fell -into the water, revived, and relieved their feelings by swimming across -to his ankles and stinging them. The next day his legs looked as though -he had elephantiasis, and never thereafter could I get him to help me -take up a bee tree. He could not seem to comprehend that the fault was -his for wearing low shoes. - -The cut deepens. The tree sways wider. It begins to heave, and one -hears the first pistol-like reports of the cracking trunk. Slowly -at first then with rapid momentum the tree falls with a thunderous -roar. The axemen have snatched the saw from the cut and jumped back. -The hunter rushes in, his hands full of moss, finds the aperture and -plugs it before the bees can escape. At least he tries to. Sometimes -he misses a subsidiary aperture, and some bees escape to enliven the -proceedings. Sometimes the bole splits at the hollow and nothing can -be done about that. Usually the hole can be plugged, and one can take -one’s time preparing to open the hollow. - -The woodsmen now put on their nets and gloves, if indeed they have not -done so just before felling the tree. All debate as to whether the -hollow extends above or below the hole, often a matter of guesswork. -Then the saw comes into play again. The lumbermen cut deep scarves -above and below the area where the honey is supposed to be. When rotten -wood (and at times honey!) shows on the blade, one can be sure the -hollow is entered. Then a wedge is placed at the base of one of the -scarves and driven home with the sledge. Another, parallel to it, is -driven in further down, and a third parallel at the lower scarf. As the -wedges are driven home, the bole will split and a great section may be -lifted off like a lid, exposing the honey and the bees. Of course, I -am describing an ideal performance. Often the tree makes trouble, has -to be sawed several times, and the opening enlarged with the axe. As -the crack widens under the impact of the wedges, the bees pour out, and -the fight is on. They will attack viciously, and one is aware of the -ping of bees dashing themselves against the wire netting of the veil. -If one has taken proper precautions, one is safe, though, to be honest, -one usually gets stung once or twice in taking up the tree. Humans -vary in susceptibility to bee stings. I am lucky in that they trouble -me little, and usually the swellings are slight. On the other hand, my -brother when once stung in the back of the hand, found his arm next -morning thrice its normal size to the armpit. Those so constituted had -better stop at home when a tree is taken up. - -Once the fight is on it is well to get at the honey as soon as -possible. Once the comb is well broken, the bees lose most of their -fight. They will dash around in a bewildered way, bunch up on a bush, -gorge themselves with spilled honey, and generally give evidence that -the spirit of the hive is dead. Only a few doughty fighters will -continue the battle. The comb will be in layers, up and down the -length of the hollow, sometimes in pieces two or two and one-half -feet long, with spaces between to admit the workers. In describing -the equipment I neglected to add a large iron spoon and a couple of -table knives. Usually it is necessary to cut the comb to get it into -convenient sizes, and a good deal of honey will escape and run down -into the hollow whence it can be spooned out and added to the spoil -in the boiler. If a certain amount of chips, dead wood, and even dead -bees and larvae are included, do not be disturbed. It will all be -strained anyway. I have long since given up trying to save wild honey -in the comb. When the last available drop is garnered, gather up your -equipment and retreat. A hundred yards away and you are quite safe and -can doff the nets and gloves that by this time are unbearably hot and -sticky. Then you have your first taste of delicious honey. - -Either wild honey is more tasty than the domestic variety or one’s -exertions have made it seem so. My guests have always agreed that -my wild honey is more aromatic than any one can buy. I imagine the -answer is that strained wild honey is a blend, while domestic honey is -generally of one variety. The taste of honey varies widely according -to the flowers from which it is made. Clover honey, foolishly the -most prized, is the most insipid. Golden rod honey is golden yellow -and spicy. Buckwheat honey is, if anything, too pungent and heavy as -molasses. The honey of Provence, made from wild thyme, has a special -piney taste. In straining wild honey no attempt is made to separate the -varieties, and the result is a blend, varying somewhat according to -tree or season, but always more interesting than the domestic variety. -Having sampled your honey and found it good, you can now go home and -weigh your spoil. Unless, indeed, you have more than one tree to take -up. I have taken up four in a day. - -The rest is an epilogue. The straining of the honey is a matter for the -distaff side. My wife makes large bags of cheesecloth, and the comb is -broken up and introduced into these. They are then hung over pans in a -warm kitchen. The honey drips slowly into the pans. One fears that a -lot will be wasted, but not so. In thirty-six hours or more the comb -will be dry beeswax, and the honey can be run off from the pans into -glass jars. When sealed, the honey will keep indefinitely. After a -while it will sugar into a kind of paste. I like this better for eating -than the liquid variety, but if anyone disagrees, it is necessary only -to place the jar in warm water for a while, and the honey will return -to its liquid state. - -So much for bee hunting and how it is done. This account has one -virtue, perhaps only one: it is true. It is based on experience, and -there is nothing in it that I have not done myself. I have relied on -nothing that I have been told; there is no hearsay. I have made no -attempt to discuss the life of the bee and the fascinating details of -its domestic economy. For the curious in these matters, I recommend -Maeterlinck’s _Life of the Bees_. I imagine what he says is true, but -I cannot prove it by my own certain knowledge. It is certainly very -beautiful and perhaps it is more important for a poet to make a thing -beautiful than to make it true. These matters are not of my concern. -For a more factual but equally fascinating account, I recommend _Bees’ -Ways_ by George de Clyver Curtis. - -I have also tried very hard to avoid purple passages. It has not been -easy. Bee hunting is one of the most fascinating of sports, and one -could go on describing different illuminating episodes for many pages. -The sport combines almost everything that is desirable. It is played -out of doors. It requires exercise both of the muscles and the brain. -It is a sport of brawn and of craft. It can be played alone. Moreover, -it can be played at any tempo. Time was when I could scramble up and -down Croydon Mountain like a squirrel and could push the pace. That I -can no longer do, but I can move more slowly, consider more carefully, -draw on the craft and knowledge of long experience and find as many -trees as when I was young and impetuous. The sport is one of infinite -variety, of suspense, disappointment, perseverance, and triumph. You go -out into the fields. Before you is a wooded mountain with ten thousand -trees. One of those trees is a bee tree. With a very simple equipment -you set out to find it, pitting your skill and your knowledge against -the wiles of probably the most intelligent insect in the world. You -try. You fail. You try again. You succeed. Your ostensible object is -honey. It is the least of your rewards. The reward is when, after hours -or days of trial and error, your eye catches the flash of wings in the -tree and once more you are able to say checkmate in one of the most -difficult, complicated, and fascinating games in the world. - - - - -TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES: - - - Italicized text is surrounded by underscores: _italics_. - - Obvious typographical errors have been corrected. - - Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BEE HUNTER *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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